In the shallow soil, a rotting female corpse was entangled by twisting vines that looked like living things. And those vines covered with mucus and bumps seemed to penetrate deep into the earth and coexist with the earth since ancient times.
After wiping away the ice crystals formed by blood and tears, Xia De understood what he had seen.
Even though the corpse was covered with extremely terrible curses, it would not make him lose his composure just by looking at it. What really affected him were the vines. For Shade, who had been exposed to the power of the "Pantanar Evil" in many ways, those vines were simply labeled as evil.
This huge swamp was used to seal that terrible thing, but in fact the seal had problems many years ago, otherwise an organization like the "Pantanal Voodoo Society" would not have appeared.
Those vines were strange plants formed by the evil things sealed in the subspace, which stretched out to the material world. And although the corpse looked like it had only been buried for a few hundred years, based on the unique traces of curses and whispering elements on it, if Shade's guess was correct, it was most likely the body of the Relic Swamp Witch.
It should be the main body.
He returned to Iluna, and the girl, who was in a better mental state, jumped off the horse and listened to Shad's story of his discovery.
"That is to say, after her tragic death, her body was captured by the evil creatures of the Pantanal, so even though it has become a relic, it still cannot leave the Everglades?"
Iluna held Shade's hand and asked. Shade nodded, his eyes trying to find the trace of the woman who only showed half of her face each time in the wind and snow:
“Although there is no evidence, the fact that she became like this after her death is definitely related to the evil spirits in the Pantanal.”
I casually drew a crack in the air, and behind the crack was the mudflat in front of the water area that represented real death:
"If she hadn't been bound by the evil of Pantanal, I could have let her go through this door and embarked on the path that should have been taken in the long past... Although relics are difficult to destroy, at least they can free the soul that longs for freedom."
Xia De sighed slightly:
"Unless the evil of the Pantanal is completely destroyed, we cannot save her."
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the swamp witch again.
She was behind a rock not far away that was already covered in snow, still only half of her face was exposed, and she was spying on Shade and Iluna with a malicious expression. In the blizzard, her messy hair that was almost stuck together was flying in the air "flashing its teeth and claws", a scene that only appeared in horror stories.
He pointed behind him again and disappeared. Shade and Iluna followed him in the snow, leading their horses. This time, they found a difficult-to-detect cave behind the rock.
The cave had probably not been used for a long time, but miraculously it was not covered by mud and snow, nor was it used as a nest by wild animals.
"Shad, I've heard rumors in the church that there are some interconnected caves deep in the Pantanal Swamp..."
Iluna looked at Shade, who nodded:
"An acquaintance I met in Huntington also mentioned this kind of hole."
He and Iluna led the horse into the cave. The underground cave was not long. After just over ten minutes, they saw the light ahead. After walking out of the cave along the slope, they saw a large lake in the snowstorm. The lake water was not frozen in this cold winter. Instead, it was shaking with the wind and hitting the shore.
In the middle of the lake, there is an island shrouded in mist. The shadow of a lighthouse standing on one side of the island can be vaguely seen, and the light of the lighthouse is so reassuring in this weather.
Iluna couldn't see the fire, so Shade was sure that the fire was the flame split from the "Original Fire". Through that strange cave, they arrived at their destination so easily.
"This lake is bigger than I thought."
Xia De sighed softly, if a lake of this size needed to be navigable, a large steamship would be more than enough.
"Are we there yet?"
Iluna said in surprise, looking back at the narrow and humid cave behind her:
"She actually pointed us in the right direction..."
"Don't think about anything else now. Since she has helped us, we will come back to help her. This is the most original contract."
Xia De in the snow withdrew his gaze:
"There are no Pantanal Voodoo Society ring sorcerers or Truth Society members around. But this lake may not be safe. There may be a fight on the lake soon. It is not easy to go to the island in the middle of the lake to watch the ceremony. There is still one last hurdle on this journey."
At this time, there were still about two hours left before the ceremony time given by the Prophet Association. The blizzard weakened a lot around this gloomy lake, but the lingering smoke obscured everything on the island in the middle of the lake in the distance.
Neither Shad nor Iluna had any way of telling whether someone had arrived here before them. They could only hear the whistling night wind carrying snowflakes hitting the ground, and the dark lake was so eerie and terrifying.
“What was the church’s original plan?”
Xiade asked Iluna, and the girl beside him replied:
"The first mission is to prevent the evil of Pantanal from returning to the material world. The Chosen One is the second mission. The church hopes that Sister Defulyn and I can subdue Legins Prisha, who has performed the ritual."
The attitude of the church was similar to that of Luvia, and they both tacitly agreed to let Sir Prisha become the fourth chosen one. The Five Gods Church and the three major colleges were probably also very interested in the enlightenment glory during the ceremony.
"Do you have a way to confirm the location of the church's ring warlocks?"
Iluna shook her head.
"Before setting out, everyone carried a candle head with a similar function, which would light up as long as they got close to their companions. But after entering the core area of the Great Swamp, this item became ineffective."
She took out the candle end and handed it to Shad:
"There are other forces in this area that prohibit alchemical items with similar functions."
Xia De nodded and thought for a moment:
"Legins Prisha should be on the island now. I think Miss Pawvo and the high-level sorcerer are also here. Since there are still nearly two hours left, let's take a break... We will set off in twenty minutes."
After all, crossing the river and exploring the island takes time, so Shad did not leave more time for rest.
Iluna nodded, but they did not retreat back to the cave. Instead, they used illusion to hide the light, set up tents and bonfires, and built a small camp on the shore. Because they would need to cross a wide expanse of water soon, Iluna did not cancel the skeleton horse that continued to consume her spirit.
The horse lay docilely on the seventeen-year-old girl's back, allowing Iluna to lean on her mount as she sat down with her legs folded.
Shade was watching over the bonfire, while Iluna looked towards the island in the middle of the lake hidden in the mist:
“I don’t know what’s going to happen next.”
"I am more concerned about whether Legins Prisha has obtained the five pyroxenes."
Xia De only knew about four of them, but he could not rule out other means.
"They should all be found. The chosen ones are drawn by fate to fulfill their mission. The others will take the initiative to find the Secret Keeper, but the Secret Keeper will take the initiative to find him."
Iluna said softly, looking at the fire in front of her:
"Shad, you know that as more and more Chosen Ones appear, I can gain more knowledge about them. I feel that this ritual is almost certain to succeed. This is... almost irreversible. But there seem to be other special rules for the Chosen Ones of knowledge and wisdom. I don't know what they are yet."
After that, he took out a staggering number of blue teardrop-shaped crystals from the small bag at his waist:
"During this period, the church also managed to obtain some Wise Pyroxene, and the ownership has now been transferred to me. Including the ones I got from the dice game, the ones I just got from the old woman who grows herbs, and the ones you gave me through the Prophet's Association, I have a total of six."
In other words, the church actually obtained three pyroxenes in a place that Shade didn't know.
The crystal stone reflected the firelight, and Iluna held it in her hands:
"Currently, only the two I own can be transferred again. The others can no longer be transferred, but..."
She motioned for Shad to look at the one pressed lowest by her fingers. At first glance, it looked the same as the others, but upon closer inspection, he discovered that it was actually gray and petrified.
The seventeen-year-old girl smiled in the small bonfire:
"This is a gift from you. Although you have signed the document, after receiving it, I rejected your gift in my heart."
The pyroxene was returned to Shade by Iluna:
"The church didn't expect me to refuse. They just asked me to keep it for safekeeping, thinking it might be useful. Now I'm giving it back to you."
The pyroxene fell into Shade's hands and immediately became crystal clear again. Iluna looked very happy:
"I took great pains to keep it from the church. I won't just take your gift casually..."
Biting her lip again:
"But I will still accept gifts at the end of the year."
In this way, Iluna has five pyroxenes, Shad has three, and Sir Prisha has a guaranteed four.
"The only uses of pyroxene at present are the Chosen Ceremony and the sublimation ceremony on the island that draws blood power from time. If possible, Iluna, I really hope that you can perform that ceremony. Maybe something interesting will happen."
"Compared to me, I think it is more likely that you can use the ritual of Stonehenge to absorb the power of time."
Iluna carefully stuffed her pyroxene back into the small cloth bag with a drawstring:
"The Church must have a purpose in letting me carry these pyroxenes."
"Come to think of it, it was Luvia who helped me pack my luggage before departure, and she also placed these pyroxenes where I could easily touch them."
Shade said softly, as if he saw Luvia's purple eyes in the firelight in front of him.
The wind blew against the lake shore, and the dark water kept lapping against the shore. The lake also reflected the dim firelight in the small camp, and the snowflakes fell on the water, extinguishing the firelight.
The whistling wind was so cold, and the sound of explosions could be heard again in the distance. Some tiny whispers reached the ears of Shade and Iluna from the bottom of their hearts, but no one cared about them.
The wind was cold and the snow was heavy. Shade holding a sword and Iluna leaning on the horse were both waiting for the upcoming decisive battle. The small camp was not warm but cozy. Iluna Beias curled up and looked at Shade's half profile illuminated by the campfire. She looked at the snow falling on Shade's shoulders and a peaceful smile appeared on her face.
Across the lake is an island in the thick fog. There are strange creatures lurking in the lake, but the lakeshore is so reassuring. Perhaps only a thick oil painting with dim colors can record this scene in the snowy night, which seems like an epic adventure of an ancient hero. For the material world, many things will be decided tonight.
In the depths of the Pantanal Lake in the distance, something flashed beneath the lake. It was a huge black shadow, but the dark clouds of falling snow obscured the starry sky, and in the dim environment, all that could be seen was that it seemed to be the shape of a mermaid.
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